The upcoming version of Visual Studio brings a slew of innovations for game developers with first-class access to build DirectX games on Windows 8. Learn how it enables you to write modern, cross-platform code while unlocking ever more performance from today’s hardware. Speaking of modern hardware, we demo how VS11 embraces the GPU like never before. From new integrated diagnostics support for DirectX to new language extensions for GPGPU, these demos will blow you away.

With gaming capabilities spreading rapidly across devices, there is an ever-increasing need to have service-based data sharing support. With our new scalable and flexible title storage service, developers enjoy the ability to persist user and game-specific data to the Xbox LIVE cloud! Come learn how to leverage these new RESTful APIs to enable cloud-based data storage and sharing for your cross-device game titles.

Windows 8 runs on the broadest range of form factors, from super-light, low-power tablet devices to high-end gaming rigs with 3D displays. This session teaches you essential techniques for getting the most out of the GPU across the full range of form factors. This is a must-attend session for developers who want to reach the broadest possible market for their games.

Many successful and innovative games use gestures as input. These games range over a wide variety of genres, platforms and input technologies, from a touch screen of a smart phone device to a full natural motion controller input device such as Kinect. Developing high quality reliant gestures is a non-trivial time consuming engineering task. In this talk we present an innovative new technology for developing high quality reliant gesture detection using machine learning. Demos, results, implementation and optimization details is discussed. Two case studies are also presented where solutions to gestures from Kinect Sports and Kinect Sports: Season Two are discussed.

This talk describes how developers can create compelling entertainment experiences on any device by using Xbox LIVE services by way of our new RESTful APIs. Learn how your application can obtain secure access to our service, make HTTPS API calls from a variety of clients, as well as how to use the expansive set of Xbox LIVE services, including some new services, to keep your customers engaged with your experiences. This session provides you with a broad understanding of Xbox LIVE from a platform perspective, as well as insights into the API roadmap.

Multiplayer features make a game more fun, and are the driving force behind many successful games today. Cross-device gameplay provides publishers with a unique opportunity to delight players on any device, at any time, wherever they are. But how can a game have compelling multiplayer experiences when a player may be interrupted at any time by a phone call or a business meeting? With Asynchronous Gaming! Come learn how to build great multiplayer games for Windows 8 and other devices using Xbox LIVE services. We cover everything from asynchronous game patterns to best practices for managing sessions, matching players and using notifications to pull players back into the game.

Multiplayer features make a game more fun, and are the driving force behind many successful games today. Cross-device gameplay provides publishers with a unique opportunity to delight players on any device, at any time, wherever they are. But how can a game have compelling multiplayer experiences when a player may be interrupted at any time by a phone call or a business meeting? With Asynchronous Gaming! Learn how you can use Xbox LIVE services to create the best possible end-to-end asynchronous gaming experience on a single device or across multiple devices!

Cross-device gameplay provides publishers with a unique opportunity to reach and delight players on any device, at any time, wherever they are. This type of gameplay experience is going to be a fundamental part of future gaming on Xbox LIVE. Come learn about the platform and experience components that Xbox LIVE is introducing as a means to help create the compelling cross-device experiences that people want to play with their friends, on the device of their choice!

If you’re not building games for the web, you’re not capitalizing a captive audience. Web games are an easy way to reach millions and millions of eyeballs and integrating Xbox LIVE services keeps customers engaged and allows them to truly play anywhere at any time. Learn how your web games can be even better with Xbox LIVE Achievements, Title Managed Storage, Multiplayer Services and more!

Xbox LIVE on Windows 8 provides a rich and robust set of APIs that enable game developers to accelerate the integration of Xbox LIVE services. This session is for developers who want to understand how we've taken advantage of the new Windows Runtime model to provide quick and easy access to Xbox LIVE services such as profile, achievements and leaderboards as well as value added scenarios, such as offline support, authentication and Windows integration. We dive into the code and design to ensure you walk away with the knowledge you need to quickly enable your Metro style games with Xbox LIVE.

Windows 8 delivers the opportunity to reach a huge worldwide audience for your games. This session shares key information and insights to help developers and producers maximize gamer engagement and game revenue. We introduce the Windows 8 Store, and discuss revenue-enhancing strategies including app trials and DLC. We discuss Xbox LIVE for Windows 8, and share insights based on real data gathered from successful Xbox LIVE titles on Xbox 360 and Windows Phone.

Kinect’s human-tracking algorithms represented significant advances in computer vision when launched just over a year ago. And luckily, the team didn’t stop there. Learn about the new features and quality improvements added since launch, as well as best practices for incorporating this new functionality into your Kinect title.

Speech provides the opportunity to create uniquely engaging experiences to delight your audience. Explore the new capabilities of voice recognition for Kinect, focusing on the user interfaces and types of experiences that mesh well with this technology. We present several case studies, including Mass Effect 3 from BioWare, Kinect Sports 2 from Rare Ltd. and BigPark Game Studios, and the Xbox 360 Dashboard. We discuss the benefits of evaluating and incorporating voice UI (VUI) early in the design; share our discoveries and best practices in testing and tuning speech for an optimal experience.

Windows 8 delivers the opportunity for you to create engaging games that reach the broadest audience, and run across a wide range of devices. In this session, learn the essentials of the new Windows 8 game development and application environment, including the Windows Runtime, CoreWindow, DirectX 11.1, Process Lifetime Management, asynchronous execution, and C++/Cx. We will also demonstrate Visual Studio capabilities for debugging 3D applications, managing code and basic content types like shaders, textures, and meshes in both design-time and run-time formats. Each key step will be illustrated with code from a Windows 8 SDK sample app such as MarbleMaze or Simple3DGame.

A bunch of decks, no videos or other documents, but something to give you an idea of what we'll likely be seeing in the coming months and years...